


A Name

by Renookie



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Gen, bramblepaw is anxious, tigerstar becomes leader of thunderclan instead of firestar au, tigerstar is a terrible father
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:02:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26721850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Renookie/pseuds/Renookie
Summary: He opened his eyes and looked around with little focus. Irritation made his pelt itch. He was so stupid! This was simple! Every warrior had to do this. Every warrior had done this. His father did it, and his mother did it, and his mentor did it. They all passed in their first try.He was the great Tigerstar's son! He excelled in all of his training. Cats would whisper about his skills and complement his catches. Other apprentices were too terrified to spar with him.Why was he so afraid?
Relationships: Brambleclaw & Tigerclaw (Warriors)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	A Name

**Author's Note:**

> I write this snippet a while ago back in April 2019. It's not well-written by any means, but I like some pieces of it and probably won't come back to the concept for a long time. I have a bad habit of dropping projects so I was going through my old ones and this little bit can stand well enough on its own that I figured I could just post it instead of deleting it. Enjoy!

They were watching him. Every step he took mattered. If he failed now, it would have dire consequences. It was unwise to disappoint.

He snuck along the base of an older oak, opening his mouth to taste the air. As he took in the scents, a light breeze rustled his striped brown fur. Bramblepaw stifled a chitter of excitement as he realized that the forest was full of prey despite how early it was in the season. A chipmunk's scent wafted from a few feet away, a bird sung a few trees away, and before him, the odor of squirrel was strong. The creature must have been just in the other side of the tree. Luckily, he was downwind; it wouldn't notice him if he was careful.

He stepped lightly around the tree, ears twitching as he listened for his prey. Soon, he saw it exactly where he thought it would be. He gathered his haunches and pounced onto it gracefully, then snapped its neck with a quick nip. The tom buried it at the base of the tree and made a silent promise to return to it later before continuing to stalk through the forest.

The chipmunk was next. It was in front of a bush, and was even easier to catch than the squirrel. He pounced into it with the same grace and buried it like he did the other prey, making yet another promise to himself. If he didn't, then he would surely forget it when he tried to return to camp. That would be embarrassing, and completely unbecoming of his... line.

He froze, breath stifled. Would three pieces be enough? Should he catch one more? Two more? Would they be pleased with five? Do they tell him when to stop, or does he have to decide?

Bramblepaw closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath as he realized that his paws were trembling, then he cringed. Did they notice? Could he come up with an excuse?

He opened his eyes and looked around with little focus. Irritation made his pelt itch. He was so stupid! This was simple! Every warrior had to do this. Every warrior had done this. His father did it, and his mother did it, and his mentor did it. They all passed in their first try.

He was the great Tigerstar's son! He excelled in all of his training. Cats would whisper about his skills and complement his catches. Other apprentices were too terrified to spar with him.

Why was he so afraid? Fear was weakness! Fear was exploitable! His father had told him a thousand times, and yet it was still getting the better of him. He wasn't supposed to be afraid. He was the son of Tigerstar, not a kittypet!

He could do this! He was great, like his father.

So, Bramblepaw shoved his fear away. He could deal with it later... preferably never. He'd forget about it tomorrow when he wakes up for the dawn patrol as a warrior.

—

He did it. As he carried the squirrel in his jaws, he suppressed a purr. Darkstripe had to call Swiftstrike and Thornclaw to help carry his catch; four pieces in total. There was the squirrel, which Bramblepaw carried, while Darkstripe carried the chipmunk, Thornclaw struggled with a rabbit, and Swiftstrike carried a thrush.

When they entered camp, Bramblepaw felt all of the eyes on him like concentrated sunlight. A few were warm and inviting, but the combination of them all made his skin burn and his fur prickle. He placed his catch on the fresh-kill pile and his gaze locked with a familiar blue one.

It was Ashfur, one of his few real friends. The gray tabby's eyes were wide with surprise, and his tail shot up. Bramblepaw padded over to him with a friendly trill.

"What do you think?" He said, trying to disguise his nervousness with smugness.

Ashfur balked. "You caught all of that?"

"There was a lot of prey out today," Bramblepaw said. "It wasn't that crazy."

"I don't think you left any for the patrols," Ashfur said with mock concern.

He didn't overdo it, right?

Right?

Bramblepaw fidgeted nervously. "Do you think Tigerstar will be proud of me?"

"You caught an entire patrol's worth of prey. How can't he be? I'd kill to have your hunting skills!"

Bramblepaw snorted. "You can, but the prey won't thank you."Ashfur cackled. His laugh was low and crackly like the call of a crow. Bramblepaw loved the noise; it overtook every other sound. However, that wasn't always a good thing.

"Bramblepaw."

The voice startled the apprentice, and he leaped away. As he turned to face the speaker, he realized how ridiculous he must've looked. It was only Darkstripe.

"Tigerstar and I need to speak to you," The dark gray tabby said.

Bramblepaw nodded slowly, following after the senior warrior as he walked off. A dark cloud of foreboding crept over him, and his fur crawled with ants.

He wasn't in trouble, right? There was nothing wrong. He must've done okay, at least. Did he try too hard? Was his father going to say he couldn't be a warrior because... well, Bramblepaw couldn't think of just one reason.

Was he too nervous? Too eager? Did he break a rule somehow?

Oh, StarClan! He was already at the entrance to his father's den! Was he angry?

He didn't look angry. Was he hiding it?

What did Bramblepaw do this time? Was he too slow? Too fast? Did he not catch enough?

"Good work," His father said, his voice even.

He did well! He did well!

"But Darkstripe told me you froze after you caught the chipmunk. Why did you freeze?"

Oh. There it was.

He fought back anger. He hought he did well for once, but there was always something. He was awful, no matter what his clanmates said. His father knew the truth.

What was the excuse?

Excuse?

Did he have one?

He didn't have one.

Oh no.

He should just tell the truth anyway. His father just... knew things. He knew him. Bramblepaw couldn't hide it, could he?

"I... I, uh..."

"You were scared, weren't you? You were afraid."

"I was. I didn't want to disappoint you!"

"You shouldn't be afraid, Bramblepaw."

His chest was being crushed by a thousand rocks.

"There's no point in being scared of your future. You must carve it with your teeth and claws like it's the fur of your enemies. If you're scared, if you hesitate, then your opponent will win."

Bramblepaw nodded, unable to speak.


End file.
